The present invention is directed towards a staple gun or fastener driving or applying tool for driving staples or other fasteners into surfaces. In particular, the present invention relates to a fastening tool where the stroke length of the driver is modified to reduce or eliminate the impact of the fastener on the object being fastened.
Staple, nail, brad, screw and other fastener-driving applying tools for industrial, commercial and do-it-yourself (DIY) use are well known. Often such tools are used to secure cables, wires, tubing and the like to a substrate such as wood by driving the fastener into the substrate, the fastener thereby surrounding the cable, wire or tubing on three sides. However, the fastener being applied may at the time of application (due to the impact of the fastener) or subsequently (due to wire and/or substrate expansion or contraction over time) penetrate, damage or deform the item being fastened, resulting in an electrical short circuit, leak or other deleterious effect.
It is often desirable to attach or connect wire or cable, including without limitation high-speed transmission multimedia cable and wire (such as CAT-5 CAT-5e, CAT-6 RG6) and NM Building Wire (also known as “Romex” wire), to substrates using staples, alone or in combination with insulators. The use of these so-called insulators, which may also provide a cushioning function, minimizes the possibility that the staple will penetrate, damage or deform the sheathing on the wire and cause an electrical short or change in current. The use of pre-assembled individual staples and insulators, installed by means of a hammer or similar implement, is conventional. However, this method is slow, tedious, and not very precise.
Proper installation of staples must meet industry requirements for staple holding power (such as those described in UL specifications) for a wide range of wire types and diameters used in typical residential and commercial construction. However, if the fastener is driven too deeply into the substrate, the fastener can deform the wire, cable, tube or other object being fastened.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved fastener driving tool or gun that ensures consistent, uniform and reproducible driving depth of the fastener into the substrate.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a fastening device that automatically and repeatably drives fasteners to a predetermined depth into a substrate to connect an object thereto.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a fastening device that is capable of reproducibly driving a fastener into a substrate to a pre-determined depth.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an improved impact pad for a fastener or driving tool or gun that helps minimize or eliminate the possibility that the fastener penetrates, damages or deforms the wire or other object being fastened.